Resistance
by jesseanne21
Summary: This morning felt like any other morning. But it wasn’t. This morning was the morning she left. It was the morning she would set out to find him.
1. Chapter 1

August 2022

Camp DC Metro

This morning felt like any other morning.

She awoke to the stuffy, stagnant air of her small, dark bunker. That's what you had to call them. The word "room" didn't seem to apply to the holes chiseled out of rock that they all occupied. Hers was one of the first ones made in Camp DC Metro. She had been a young girl. Many wanted to send her to the Communal Area with the other lost children. But she'd come with _them_, she wasn't lost. So she had been accommodated, given her own quarters.

She raised the light in her lantern and a yellow glow illuminated the cave walls. There was nothing on those walls. It's not like you could just tape your favorite posters to the rock face. If there had been any posters. If there had been any tape.

Her small desk had also been a survivor. Probably belonged to some accountant …or maybe it had come from the FBI. She liked to pretend it came right from their office. When she had been younger, she would sit at it for hours, wearing stolen glasses and pretending to pour over important papers. Covering the scraps in insignificant doodles and writings. He would chide her for wasting paper, but he could never hide his wry grin, even as he collected all the used scraps. She new he saved every last one. After all, she was all they had.

The desk was covered in papers again, but this time they were not the product of some imaginary game. The desk was covered in files. Old files. Rescued files. Dangerous files.

She heard the first sounds of them awakening just beyond the curtain that divided her bunker from theirs.

This morning felt like any other morning.

But it wasn't. This morning was the morning she left. It was the morning she would set out to find him.

Adrian was 20 years old. Give or take a day or two. It was hard to keep track of days passing down here. They saw very little sun. Only now and then, when someone had to venture outside the Camp. Only the Immunes were allowed to do that. Anyone who was dependant on the booster shots never left. There were those who had a natural immunity. The aliens hadn't counted on that. They hadn't counted on a lot of things.

Those who needed the shots never left. Not until today.

When Colonization had begun, when the Viral Invasion had struck, she had been 10. They hadn't arrived for her parents in time. Adrian remembered Dana helplessly kneeling by her father, "I don't understand. It should've worked. This should've been prevented." She didn't cry.

They had to drag Adrian out. She remembered clutching at her mothers body. It felt like sticky glue…from the hot glue gun. Like when they made the witch's hat for her Halloween costume. "It will be more fun if we stick spiders on it."

"They're not coming back Adrian," he'd said, "It's dangerous to stay with them. You've been saved, you're a special girl. You have to come with us." So matter of factly and coolly that it had quieted her immediately. She was frightened then. She'd never seen them before in her life. But they knew her parents. They loved them. She could tell. They would grow to love her too.

She'd only been there a day…maybe even less than 24 hours. Watching her parents turn to gooey masses on the apartment floor. After they'd gotten her out of the apartment and stuffed her into the back of an SUV, Dana jabbed her in the arm with a shot. The Vaccine. The Vaccine that Dana had manipulated and perfected. The Cure. Hope. She could remember the dull ache and the feel of the thick, syrupy liquid as it moved from her arm throughout the rest of her body. Adrian had taken a dose of that vaccine once a month every month since that day.

Some time later, Dana had told her that she'd administered the vaccine to her parents in the days before Colonization. She'd thought one dose would do it. She was wrong. It was the same mistake that caused Dana to loose her mother, her brothers, even her nieces and nephews. From then until now, Dana worked day and night laboring to keep enough Vaccine ready to save everyone else.

They'd developed a system to get the instructions to make the Vaccine to the other Camps. Immunes were sent out in every direction. So far they'd gotten all the way to Miami, and as far west as Las Vegas.

"Like the Pony Express," he'd told Adrian "in the Old West." "Except without the ponies," she'd smiled up at him. Mulder had chuckled and pinched her nose. She'd think of that moment on the days he didn't get out of bed. And on the days she'd hear him mumble softly to a dark and empty room.

No one knew what was happening in the rest of the world. Adrian guessed that this _was_ the rest of the world

Dana and Mulder didn't need the Vaccine themselves. They were Immunes. And if _they_ were Immunes, more than likely any children they had were too. Which was why Adrian was embarking on this journey. It was time.

"It's uncanny how much you resemble your mother." Dana was trimming Adrian's hair. "But your strength, your stubbornness," she'd smiled at their reflection in the dingy mirror, "_that_ you undoubtedly owe to your father." Dana's eyes had gotten a little glassy then. But no tears fell. Adrian didn't think Dana could cry anymore.

Adrian pulled on some jeans and threw on a tank top. She slipped out of her bunker and into the main tunnel. She deftly walked its familiar line. Camp DC Metro was just waking up. Those she passed in the tunnel looked at her solemnly. They all knew. It was up to her now. When she reached Main Camp, she made her way to the Central Office. The man at the desk glanced up.

"My name is Adrian Doggett," she said, "I'm requesting an extended pass."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"I assume you've cleared this with Medical?" The desk clerk gazed at her indifferently.

"Yes, Dr.Scully is aware."

"I'm going to need to see your file please." He limply held out his hand to receive the medical file Adrian slipped from her satchel. He flipped through the papers. She new he was making note of her name, her weight, her height, the date of her last medical exam (yesterday), her parents, her blood type, and…

"Wait, this can't be right." He paused to read a line again and looked up at her. "You're not an Immune."

"I'm aware of that fact Sir." Adrian replied. Her voice had more bite than she had intended. "As you can see, I've been granted special permission by Dr. Scully herself due to the unique nature of my assignment."

The clerk gazed at her intently. She wasn't sure if it was pity or annoyance contained in that gaze. Maybe a combination of the two. He took a few more moments to check through her file, maybe weigh his choices. Then he pulled a rubber stamp and ink pad from under the desk.

"This is highly unusual," he brought the stamp down hard on the ink pad "but, of course, I defer to Dr. Scully's expert judgment in this case." The sound of the stamp hitting the top of her file echoed in the empty cavern. "The Wall opens at 9:00 Ms. Dogget. Your pass will be ready and waiting for you there."

The clerk handed Adrian back her file. She clutched it a moment before looking at it. This was it. This was actually happening. "Approved" stamped in red on her file. HER file. She was out. She was off. She was free.

It seemed a lifetime ago that Dana had told her of her plans. Adrian had never anticipated this. She had thought herself a girl without a future. She had thought them all without a future. She took each day for what it was. She tried to appreciate every second she had, not knowing which would be the last one. Sometimes it was tiresome. Waking up and staring at the same thing every morning. Going the same places everyday. Seeing the same people. She and Dana had had plenty of tiffs. Adolescence combined with the confinement had not been pleasant. For either of them.

It was those times that she sought out Mulder. She wanted to hear stories. Stories of his life, of his work at the FBI. He had been to Russia. Where was Russia now she wondered? Mostly, he liked to talk about baseball. He'd drawn home plate on the floor of their bunker in chalk. He taught her where to stand, and to relax and bend her knees. He taught her not to choke the bat. There wasn't enough room to actually swing, but they both enjoyed it none the less. It felt real. It felt normal, learning to play baseball.

Dana had come sweeping into their bunker an evening 3 months ago. She was breathless and could hardly contain a hopeful smile that played across her lips.

"I've gotten news." She'd said, gasping. "News about William."

At this Mulder simply glanced up from his reading, as if she'd just told him we were having string beans instead of broccoli at dinner. "And?" he said.

Dana's face fell only for a moment, and then she was back and bustling. Showing him the papers she had in her hands. "It's a message, from one of the Riders." She was pointing at the page now. "He says that there's a young man, at Camp Raleigh, that fits William's profile."

"Scully…" Mulder whispered hopelessly, looking down at her. Adrian felt like she wasn't even in the room. They were speaking volumes in that look, they just weren't speaking to her.

"I know, I know Mulder," she was racing now, "just hear me out."

She'd gone on to tell them that this man, "William", had come to Camp Raleigh alone. He was an Immune. He'd not offered any explanation for where he had spent the last 9 odd years, only that he was 22 years of age and his parents were both dead. The Rider had only noticed him because he had been the Medical Clerk who had received the package. It had been updated instructions on Vaccine production. Someone who worked with William told the Rider something he couldn't ignore. He said that they had had a man come in. He'd broken his ankle. It was an odd hour and they were understaffed. The Doctor asked William to hold the man down while he set the ankle. William wouldn't touch the man. Dana read from the paper. "The Doctor insisted, and William did as he was told, grabbing the man's arms at the wrist. Doctor gets ready to set the ankle but the foot's completely normal. Not a twist. The patient stopped screaming and all is well with the world. Well, when the Doctor goes to ask William what the hell happened, he's already out the door."

Dana was hopeful. So hopeful. She was glowing. Adrian could count on one hand the times she seen Dana like this. Adrian was glancing back and forth between the two of them, trying to pick up on something of their unspoken communication. Instead they had withdrawn to their own cabin. They were deciding their future. Adrian's future. Adrian only wished they would let her in on it.

Adrian imagined how the conversation went. Mulder would tell Dana not to get her hopes up, that they couldn't afford another wasted effort. Dana would tell him that the Mulder she knew would never give up. He would look at her sadly and say something cryptic like "I'm not the Mulder you knew." She would get glassy eyed and eventually win him over to her side. Dana could win anyone over to her side. Adrian was jolted out of her reverie when they came rushing out of their bunker only moments later.

"No. NO Scully." Mulder was after her like a shot. "It should be me that goes. ME." Dana snipped over her shoulder at him. "For god sakes Mulder, you're 60 years old." This had sobered him for a moment. Dana had eyes only for Adrian now.

"Adrian." She was staring intently into the dark, wide pools of Adrian's eyes. "I want you to go. I want you to find him for us."

Adrian's mouth had opened a little. She didn't blink. She stuttered hopelessly. She looked to Mulder for help, but Dana took her chin in her hand and turned her to face her. She knew Adrian would do anything to please him. "Look at me Adrian, it's you and me now." Dana's eyes were blue circles of resolve. "You're ready, Adrian. You think I don't know you want to get out of here?" Adrian felt a breath she didn't know she was holding escape her. "Adrian, I know you. You can do this. You're the only one who can do this. And we can't protect you forever."

"We can. We CAN protect her." Mulder's voice was loud and cracking. "She needs the shots, how is she going to get the shots?"

"I can figure it out." Dana had said calmly. Her hand had left Adrian's chin and now she was gripping Adrian's fingers.

When Adrian finally spoke, it was soft. Soft but with a determination she'd never heard in her own voice. "I want to do this. I want to do this for you. I can. I can and I will."

"You're not going anywhere." Mulder was charging at her.

"Mulder…" Dana was trying to soothe him. He glared at her, he wasn't playing today.

"No! I said NO. Samantha is not going ANYWHERE!"

A terrible silence had fallen over the room. It was thick and unbearable. Dana's head drooped and she brought her hand to her temples.

"Adrian." Adrian had said hoarsely, "I'm Adrian."

Mulder's expression was pained when he'd looked at her, his chest heaving with emotion. He was frustrated with the fact that he had again reduced himself to this. Dana moved to him and placed her hand gently on his shoulder. Her stoic calm was the only stabilizing force in the room. He was all frayed edges and feeling, this dark and brooding man Adrian had grown up with. So unlike her own father. Yet, she loved him just as much. Just as dearly.

Adrian wondered how long it had been like this. How long he had completely relied on Dana for his own strength. Surely there had been a time when she had needed the strength. Dana was not all ice and stone. Adrian knew that. Dana had played with her hair at night to help her sleep. Kissed her forehead when she'd had bad dreams. Dana had laughed heartily at Adrian's description of her date with Kenneth Roman, "and then he said 'what, you don't want a piece of THE KEN?'" They had laughed for what seemed like forever, and had tears running down their cheeks by the time Mulder had wandered in. He had been happy to see them like this. He'd come up behind Dana and pinched her sides. She'd giggled and gave him a playful smack. He'd stooped and kissed her on the top of her head. Adrian's heart had been so full at that moment.

Mulder and Dana had retreated to their cabin then, for the night Adrian supposed. As Dana guided Mulder through the curtain, she glanced back at Adrian, her lips turned up in a half smile. "We'll talk about it more tomorrow." She said quietly, "when everyone's had time to think."

The next three months saw Mulder coming around to the idea. He had realized, whether he wanted to or not, that he had to pass the torch to Adrian. That she had to be strength for both of them. Dana was needed at the camp, continually making and working on improvements for the vaccine.

"Why didn't you look for him sooner?" Adrian had nervously asked Mulder this while they were working on the best route to Camp Raleigh. He didn't look up from the map.

"We did." He'd said matter of factly. "Before we even found you." He looked up at her and smiled warmly, nostalgically. "We turned up nothing. Then, about 3 years ago, we'd heard he went to…the other side. I guess that's the best way to say it."

"And you believed that?" Adrian was incredulous.

"Well," Mulder sighed "It's a long story, but it seemed entirely possible at the time."

Adrian made a note to ask to hear that long story later.

The next months were a blur of files. Adrian read everything that Dana and Mulder provided for her. Everything they had rescued from the X-Files. She had heard most of this before. Dana and Mulder had always been open with her about William…and about the Aliens and the abilities they both possessed.

"If he's anything like me, he's going to need proof." Dana had said handing Adrian another file. "I've included DNA test results, baby photos, the adoption records…" Adrian was flipping through the file Dana handed her.

"Where's Mulder's DNA tests?" she asked. Dana looked down at the table, stopping in mid-sentence, and nibbled her lip. "I didn't include those."

"Why not?" Adrian was confused.

Dana took a moment and said haltingly "I'm not sure they'd match…and there's no need to cause additional confusion."

Dana looked at Adrian. Her eyes were pleading, no more questions.

"Alright." Adrian said breaking they're gaze. "Alright."

They hadn't been as open with her as she thought. This was a painful realization.

Adrian wound her way back from Main Camp to her bunker. Dana and Mulder were awake and waiting.

"I've packed 5 doses of Vaccine. That's more than enough to last you until you reach Camp Raleigh. The injection method we talked about, you understand it, I'm sure. They'll be plenty there for you when you arrive. We've sent word ahead." Dana handed Adrian a satchel. The bottles clanked angrily against each other. "Now, you know you have to hold the mechanism…"

"I know, Dana. I've shot myself up for 10 years now." Adrian said, half laughing.

"Right. Of course." Dana let go of the satchel. "Just remember that it expires. You have four months."

Adrian moved to the bed and began shoving the three shirts and two pair of pants she'd laid out into her satchel. She could hear Mulder gathering her paperwork. Maps, letters of assignment for the Postal Route Stations she'd be stopping at along her way. William's file. Adrian wondered if he knew that Scully hadn't included his test results. They'd been keeping things from her about William. Why not from each other? Why would they think he'd abandoned their cause and joined the invading forces? Adrian hoped it would all be made sense of once she returned with William. And she would return with him.

After she'd packed the clothes, she double checked the front pocket for the compass and took the papers from Mulder's hands, stuffing them neatly in the bag.

"I went to the Hall and got you some provisions. They'll feed you well at the Route Stations…I just thought you might want a little something…you know…for in between." Mulder handed her a paper bag. She glanced inside. Two apples, three oranges, some Astronaut Food, as she called it, and her favorite, sunflower seeds. There was also an enormous jug of water.

"Mmmm, freeze dried steak." Adrian looked up smiling. "You really know how to impress a gal."

Mulder laughed in spite of himself. That breathy half chuckle he allowed himself every once in a while.

"Well. I guess that's it. The Wall opens at 11." Adrian's hand flopped to her sides. She looked at the two of them standing there. Adrian wasn't sure when it had happened, but they'd gotten old. She felt hot tears begin to well up, but she choked them down. Not today.

"I want you to have something." Dana was unfastening the necklace at her throat. "It will let you know that…that…even in our loneliest and most fearful hour, we can have faith." She brought the gold cross around Adrian's neck and began to fasten it. "Faith in the fact that the people who love us, never truly leave us."

Adrian looked down at the small charm and held it between her fingers. She was so deeply moved. That was when she heard it. A choking sob. Dana was crying. No, she was sobbing. She drew Adrian close to her and clutched wildly at the back of Adrian's khaki jacket. Adrian robotically wrapped her arms around Dana and felt the huge, wrenching sobs rattle her tiny frame, and the warm tears soak through her coat. This woman loves me. Adrian knew it then. Maybe knew it then for the first time. And her shock at this overwhelming display of emotion melted away and she held Dana as hard as she herself was being held. Mulder put his hands on Dana's shoulders and gently pulled her away from Adrian. The world seemed colder to Adrian now that Dana was no longer in her arms. Mulder drew Dana into his chest and wrapped her up in the cocoon of his arms. His eyes were glistening but he was calm and collected. It was Dana's turn. So he had to be strong.

Adrian looked up at him and he down at her. He smiled warmly and their eyes memorized each other, preserving this memory as a snapshot to reference when they were missing each other. He didn't say anything. Adrian turned, grabbed her things, and left the bunker without looking back. Her walk was brisk and determined as she headed for the Wall. There was no turning back now. And she would not return empty handed.

These two people. Who had rescued her from certain death, and raised her to be strong and brave. Less than parents, more than guardians. It didn't matter that she couldn't label them. They were hers. And they were all she had. And she wouldn't fail them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

As Adrian drew nearer to the Wall, the tunnel she walked narrowed slightly. The amount of people she passed gradually lessoned and her breath seemed to quicken. She rounded the last corner of her old life and stepped head on into her new one. A small man was seated behind a single desk flanked by two armed guards. Adrian herself wasn't carrying a gun. Bullets had no effect on the aliens, only on other survivors. And you didn't kill other survivors. Not unless you really had to. Really, really had to.

There was a line forming at the desk. There were 7 other people leaving. Adrian recognized 4 as Riders by the size of their packs and the badge embroidered on their leather coats. It was a picture of a speeding horse inside an outline of the United States. The known Camps were marked by small glittering stars. Beacons of hope in a seemingly empty wasteland. Adrian stepped in line behind one of the other men. He seemed about 40 or so. His jacket was weather beaten, his boots well worn. Adrian guessed he'd been out a hundred times before. He glanced back at her.

"First time out?" He smiled brightly.

"Yeah," Adrian said airily "how'd you guess?"

He chuckled, "You're…fidgety, you know? Twitchy."

Adrian laughed and sheepishly looked at her feet. "I suppose you're right…you're right."

"Where you headed?"

"Camp Raleigh. You?"

"I'm headed in that direction myself." He said cheerily, "Camp Columbia, South Carolina."

Adrian nodded.

"Robert. Robert Howard." He put out his callused, hard worn hand.

Adrian reached for it and shook it warmly. "Adrian Doggett."

"It's nice to meet you Adrian Doggett." He went back to fiddling with the latch on his pack.

Adrian was surprised the name did not alert him. Everyone in Camp DC Metro knew her by name if not appearance. Her surrogate parents were leaders in the Camp. Hell, they were leaders of the whole damn country as far as she was concerned. They'd almost single handedly distributed the vaccine and coordinated the Survivor Plans.

"You…you don't know who I am?" Adrian said hesitantly.

Robert looked up at her and grinned. "Oh, I know who you are. Just seems to me there's no reason to make a big fuss out of it right? Best I can figure, girl on assignment like you may want to slip out of here quietly."

"You don't know anything about my assignment." Adrian spoke flatly.

"Sure I do." He paused and looked fixedly at her. "Mulder asked me to accompany you far as Camp Raleigh."

Adrian was furious. Mulder didn't trust her. Didn't think she could manage it on her own.

"I don't need a babysitter. I'm perfectly capable."

"Well, like it or not, I'm your new shadow." He smiled and clapped her heartily on the shoulder.

Adrian bristled and glared at him.

"Hey, I didn't ask to have a 20 year old Newbie thrown into my lap. But I owe Mulder a few…hundred favors. Time for me to pay up." He laughed and stepped forward in line.

"Look, just let me go. You go your way, I'll go mine and Mulder would be none the wiser." Adrian offered. "It's clear we'd both be happier with that scenario."

"What are you trying to prove little girl?" Robert's voice was slightly raised. "That you're strong enough? Brave enough? Smart enough? I'm sure you are, but there's no shame in taking help where you can get it out there."

"I can handle it." Adrian said huffily pushing in front of Robert in line. "And I'm not your little girl."

"No, but you're _his_." Robert grabbed the strap of Adrian's pack, jerking her backward. "And you owe it to him to let me look after you."

She turned to face him and stared into his face. His hair was sandy brown with flecks of grey and his eyes were the kind that changed color depending on the light in the room. Right now they were brown. Adrian thought herself to be very intuitive. She could predict a person's feelings and actions only moments after meeting them. She felt this man, Robert, to be trustworthy. He was hardened and strong. But there was a rugged warmth about him that reminded her of someone. It made her immediately comfortable around him but at the same time bristle at his authority. With a fierce shrug of her shoulders she snatched her pack out of his hands.

"Fine," she conceded. "but this is _my_ assignment, and I'm in charge."

Adrian was finally face to face with the desk clerk.

"File please." He held out his hand and took her file. The clerk glanced up at Adrian and smiled tightly. "Ms. Doggett." he handed her a pass about the size of a greeting card. "Present this to the Clerk at the wall and keep it visible at all times when you are approaching a Route Station, Camp and/or your final destination."

Adrian looked down at the card in her hands while Robert retrieved his pass. It had a silver clip on the top. Her own face stared solemnly back at her. The dark layers of her hair framed an olive skinned oval face. I wonder what I look like with a tan, she thought. Well, maybe in the next couple of days, she'd find out.

Robert came up behind her. "Well Adrian Doggett," smiled warily "time to go."

They shuffled along with the others down another tight tunnel. The electric lights along the walls got fewer and far between and for the first time in her life, Adrian felt slightly claustrophobic. When it seemed she could take the dim, enclosed space no longer they came to another set of armed guards. The guards stood beside what looked like a small toll booth. The booth housed another small clerk. All the clerks blended into the same person to Adrian.

"Have your pass out." Robert said.

Adrian still clutched the pass card in her hands. It was clammy with her sweat. She looked around her. The tunnel seemed to dead end at the pair of guards.

"Where….where _is_ it?" she breathed.

"It's right there." Robert said pointing at the 4 foot wide space of wall in between the two guards.

"There?" Adrian scoffed "That's it?"

"Anti-climatic, I know." Robert chuckled. "But you'll feel different once it's open."

They reached the booth and flashed the clerk their passes. Then they stood facing the Wall as the two guards began an obviously well practiced procedure of pulling open and unlocking various metal hinges and levers. The wall of stone began to slide slowly to the left on what appeared to be a small motorized track.

Suddenly, an unbearably bright white light filled the room. Adrian gasped and raised her arm to shield her eyes. "What _is_ that!"

Robert gently pulled her arm away from her face. She squinted in pain and grimaced in protest. "It's sunlight. Don't tell me you don't remember sunlight?"

Sunlight. Of course Adrian remembered sunlight. Sunlight was a park. It was tossing a Frisbee with her dad. "I hope your remembered sun block kiddo."

Adrian's eyes watered with the strain, but she forced herself to keep them open. It seemed it took them a hundred years to adjust. Gradually she was able to see the outline of the Wall, now open, and the form of the guards and the other people around her.

"Time to head out." Robert smiled knowingly and headed toward the exit. Adrian followed him, re-adjusting her pack tightly on her shoulder. She stepped out Camp DC Metro and onto what appeared to be an alleyway. Adrian looked up. She was in a shady, narrow alley. The sides of which were bordered by tall brick brownstones. They were still standing. There were still buildings, intact. Just no people inside them. No children calling to each other. No dogs yipping. No ambient noise at all. The only sounds were the swift footsteps of the Riders going in every direction and her own heavy breathing. The air felt thick. Adrian heard the scraping of the Wall closing slowly behind them. She glanced back. If she hadn't known she'd just come out of there, she'd never guess that there was anything beyond what now appeared to be a seamless brick wall.

"Oh my god." She whispered.

"Past the point of no return Adrian Doggett." Robert looked to the horizon. "Welcome to Earth."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Robert stepped surely and quickly toward the open end of the alley. Adrian gathered herself together and jogged for a moment to catch up. Adrian was shocked. Beyond shocked. Shocked was the understatement of the year. She had expected….well she hadn't quite known what to expect but it wasn't this. Everything was still standing. Roads, buildings, lampposts, street signs, all still intact. It was as if they had stepped onto an empty movie set.

"It's so…clean." She observed.

Robert laughed, short and hard. "Yeah well, they're nothing if not clean." Robert kept walking swiftly. He had been this route many times before. "They're pretty vigilant about keeping it like this. Afraid of disease, bacteria, that sort of thing. That's when you gotta really watch out, during the Sweeps."

"That's ironic," Adrian scoffed "seeing as that's what they used to wipe us out. I mean, Dana says that they are actually…well, that they themselves…_are_ the virus."

Robert looked over at her. "All I know is, they're the enemy. That's all I _need_ to know."

Adrian nodded and looked at the ground. It was hot. Hot and dry. Hot, dry and painfully silent. She took her jacket off and tied it around her waist. She couldn't believe Robert still had his coat on. She felt like the sun was burning straight through her skin. She could see no sign of the others who had exited with them. She wasn't quite sure of what they were doing. Should they be hiding? They were just walking openly on the street. Adrian placed her trust in Robert's experience and she strode on lost in thought.

It was apparent that time was a lot more subjective a concept to the aliens than to the Survivors. It had been 10 years since they had unleashed the viral apocalypse. Yet, as far as anyone could tell, they had not begun to colonize the planet. In the first days following the viral invasion, the country had been swarming with them. They had come to annihilate any they found who had survived the virus, and to collect the unnatural result of the infection-the alien life forms that the human race had become incubators for. But now, they remained just outside the atmosphere hovering in their ships. Planning, plotting, pro-creating. Mulder said they were overconfident, and that was their greatest weakness.

This lack of haste had also allowed the survivors to do some planning of their own. In the past 10 years they had developed a way of living underground, safe from the bees and the Alien Hunters who carried the virus. They grew fruit and vegetables under hot house lamps, bread livestock and perfected the vaccine. They continued on, waiting for the day when they would be able to reclaim the planet.

Adrian knew that the aliens still dispatched their Bounty Hunters to do the dirty work of taking out survivors wherever they found them. Especially if those survivors had anything to do with Mulder and Scully. They were the center of everything it seemed. Them and their son. At this thought she dug her hand into her pack. She swished around until she felt the cool steel of it. She gripped the pen shaped object in her fingers, the act of holding it giving her reassurance that if the situation arose, she would be ready. One stab. Base of the neck. Cover your eyes and run.

Adrian noted that they were headed eastbound on New York Avenue.

"We'll be turning on Capitol Street." Robert said. "We're heading for the bridge to Virginia."

Adrian nodded. They would go past the capital building. She only wished she could remember the address of her old apartment. It seemed odd to her that, try as she might, she couldn't remember that address. But it was 10 years of a different life that she had spent there. A life without fear. Her parents had protected her from what they knew. She wasn't sure if she was grateful for that or not. She supposed her mother had wanted her to enjoy her childhood. Probably thought those years would be the only years she'd ever live. Adrian often wondered why they had brought her into this world…a world with an expiration date. She imagined that she had been unexpected. Dana and Mulder hadn't even known of her existence until they found her that day.

They made the turn onto Capitol Street heading toward the Southwest Freeway. Adrian could see the gleaming white dome of the capital building through a sky that seemed almost unnaturally clear. She couldn't put words to what she was feeling right now. If she had walked onto a street with crumbling buildings and a charred landscape it would somehow have been more bearable. But this, this city frozen in time and in silence, perfectly intact as if it had only been a few moments since the human race had been all but wiped off the planet. _This _was more terrifying than she could've ever anticipated.

They had been walking for almost 3 hours now. Robert suggested they take a break for some water and a snack. The first Route Station was another 4 hours away, on I-395 a little ways into Virginia.

Adrian and Robert plopped to the ground, she leaning against the wall of some federal building and him sitting on his pack. She dug out her water jug and watched as Robert sipped gingerly at his canteen. Adrian was about ready to chug her whole 32 oz of water but she paced herself.

"I have some fruit. Would you like an apple or something?" She held out the small apple to Robert.

"No thanks," he smiled at the gesture. "Never much cared for the hot house apples. They're mealy you know? Not crisp, like from the tree."

"I know exactly what you mean. I hate mealy apples. I guess I just eat them because they're there." She stuffed the apple back in her bag and instead reached for a package of sunflower seeds.

"So Mr. Howard," Adrian began.

"Call me Robert."

"Ok. Robert." She half-smiled "How is it you came to owe Mulder so many favors?"

Robert laughed and took another swig from his canteen.

"He saved my life."

"He saved a lot of people's lives."

"Yeah. Yeah he did." Robert sighed. "This was different."

"I'm all ears." Adrian smiled. She felt warmth for this gruff, weather beaten warrior.

"He didn't save me from the virus. I'm an immune. Watched my wife and two daughters turn to Jell-O though. When I realized that…that something was…_growing_, inside them…that's when I left the apartment."

Adrian looked at him intently. He was staring ahead at nothing.

"The world I stepped out into…I mean…you remember it. It was chaos. I blundered around, dead bodies everywhere…some with their chests hanging wide open like some awful science fiction movie. I was heading for the FBI building. Had an agent friend, we had used to be cops in the same precinct, up in New York. Maybe you knew him?"

Robert looked at her and smiled sadly. Adrian new he was talking about her father.

"You knew my dad?" She asked quietly.

"I did. Not real well. But well enough to know that he kept his head in a bad situation. I thought maybe he'd know what to do…you know have some inside information or something since he worked for the government."

Adrian looked at her shoes as a picture of her father's face forced itself into her mind's eye. She felt a tightness in her chest. But it passed quickly. It always did.

"I can't even tell you how I managed to make it there, what with all that was going on." Robert continued. "I mean there must've been those…things…running around all over the place. Not to mention the Bounty Hunters. Didn't even know what one of them was at the time."

He took another sip of water and screwed the cap back shoving the canteen back into his jacket pocket.

"Anyway, I'm walking into the main entrance of the building and the place is empty. I mean totally empty. I'm running through the lobby yelling like a mad man. 'John! John Doggett! Anyone!' you know…I'm crazy with fear. Then I hear this voice asking me if I need help. Well, it was Mulder and Scully, the both of them are just loaded with boxes…files. They were coming from inside the building somewhere."

Adrian felt like she was hearing another of Mulder's best bedtime stories.

"I run toward them, you know just grateful to see someone alive, when all the sudden Scully's face just goes white. Mulder and I turn to see what she sees and there is this big guy just coming right for us."

"A Bounty Hunter?" Adrian said breathlessly.

Robert nodded. "Oh yeah. He picked me up by the neck and threw me into the wall. Next thing I see he's got Scully by the throat and tosses her about 6 feet in the air and she comes crashing down on the floor next to me and she's out."

Robert was lost in his own re-telling now. His voice was elevated and he was talking fast and heatedly.

"Mulder's running to get behind the security desk and the Bounty Hunter just heads right back toward me and Scully, wanting to finish her off…or me…who knows. And I mean, I'm totally helpless, I have no idea what to do. Then all the sudden I hear Mulder yelling. 'Hey!' he says 'base of the neck! Cover your eyes!' I have no idea what in the hell he's talking about, but he slides this silver needle thing along the lobby floor and I catch it. Now the Bounty Hunter has heard Mulder yelling so that turns onto him and I just jump up and jab that thing into the back of its neck."

Adrian was wide-eyed and enthralled.

"Well, needless to say my eyes burned like crazy. I must've passed out. Next thing I remember after that I'm lying in a tub of ice in Camp DC Metro with an I.V. in my arm."

They were silent for a moment.

"Wow." Adrian finally exhaled. "That's a good story."

Robert laughed deeply and Adrian let out a silvery giggle and stuffed the wrapper from her sunflower seeds back into her pack.

"It would be a shame to dirty the place up." She quipped.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The next three hours passed in amiable conversation between the two travelers. Adrian discovered that Robert had begun his Post-Invasion life as one of the Riders. Now, retired from delivering the post, his guide services were available to the highest bidder. As they had crossed over the bridge into Virginia, meandering onto the Interstate, he'd told Adrian that he'd been to nearly every known camp. Adrian was fascinated and she played the inquisitive student to his worldly teacher. At the same time it made her realize how painfully unprepared and inexperienced she was. The only things she knew of this new Earth were the things she had read in the X-files. She had the knowledge but not the experience. She was grateful for Robert's guidance…and his company.

"I'm sorry," she smirked "You know, for the way I acted this morning."

Robert smiled and nodded. It was understood.

The sun inched closer to the horizon and the sky became a delicious shade of orange. The sun was a blazing orb in a velvety purple blanket when Robert stopped suddenly at a large green exit sign.

"This is it." He said, shaking off his backpack.

"This is what?"

"Route Station 76." Robert began feeling around the base of the sign.

Adrian snorted. She had marked exit 392 on her map as the first Route Station. She was expecting a noticeable building of some sort. She would sort of saunter up the exit ramp up to a welcoming lodge with smoke twisting from the chimney and a cowboy leaning on a porch rail with a ready cup of coffee. She marked how ridiculous she had been to think it. When mere hours ago she had been inwardly cursing Robert for marching her blatantly out into the open….she had expected a building. And here they were. _Literally_ at exit 392. She was a fool. A fool who felt unbearably foolish. She silently thanked Mulder for sending Robert with her. She wondered if Dana had been right to believe in her.

He was knocking on the ground. At last Adrian heard a hollow thunking when his fist hit a particular patch of dusty earth. He let out a victorious "aha" and yanked on a heavy rope that he'd just unearthed. The rope was attached to what appeared to be a plywood hatch which Robert gently pulled open.

He looked up at Adrian. "Get out your pass."

As Adrian fumbled around her pack for her pass she heard a low voice coming from the dark hole the open hatch had left in the ground.

"State your names and business." It sounded quite close but Adrian could see no one as she peered gingerly into the tunnel.

"Robert Howard," he held his pass up "guide to Ms. Adrian Dogget. Here on assignment from Camp DC Metro. En Route to Camp Raleigh." He gestured for Adrian to hold up her pass. She jerked it into the air in front of her not exactly sure where it was she was supposed to be holding it.

There were a few moments of silence and then the voice spoke again.

"Into the hole."

Robert looked at Adrian and smiled impishly. "Ladies first," he said gesturing grandly at the hole Adrian was apparently supposed to leap into.

She raised a brow at him and shrugged. She sat down on the ground and let her feet dangle into the hatch. She had no idea how deep this was going to be. But hell if she was going to let on she was scared. Judging by the volume of the voice…wait, no thinking. Thinking gave you time to be afraid. Just doing. She inhaled quickly and pushed herself off.

She heard Robert chuckle lightly as she landed on a hard surface no more than 3 feet from where she had been sitting. As she pulled herself into a standing position her head peeked above ground and she noted Robert smiling warmly down at her.

"Lend an old man a hand?" he extended his arm down to her and she lowered him in. Once he was standing next to her he reached above ground, grabbed his recently shed backpack and the dangling rope that held the hatch door.

"Go." He said sharply into the darkness below them. Then the floor began to move. They were on some sort of elevator, or pulley system. As they dropped slowly downward, the hatch door began to close. It shut with loud thwack and they were plunged into total darkness.

"Feels like home." Adrian breathed. The air was dank and thin in comparison to what she had been inhaling all day. She'd never realized how awful it tasted, smelled, felt. The air she'd breathed for the past ten years.

As they descended, the cavern around them grew wider and Adrian could see that they were on a mechanized rope and pulley system. She noticed the dull glow of electric lights below them and heard the low murmur of voices and the clatter of cups, dishes and conversation that went along with sharing a meal. Her stomach rumbled in anticipation.

After a few moments, the lift landed with a rickety thud and they were greeted by a stocky woman in navy coveralls, the Rider emblem over the right breast pocket.

"Robert!" she laughed huskily and clapped him on the shoulder, ushering him off the platform. "Good to see you."

As she turned, Adrian noticed three deep, angry scars along her cheek. Claw marks. The woman felt Adrian's gaze and turned to her. "Battle scars from the War of the Worlds. Though I can see this fresh-faced young thing wouldn't know much about that."

Adrian was wide-eyed and embarrassed "I'm…sorry…I just…" she stuttered helplessly but Robert broke the tension.

"Rosie Helmet, I'd like you to meet Adrian Dogget. Mulder and Scully been looking after her." At this, Rosie's eyes softened and she held out her leather skinned hand. Robert gently guided Adrian off the platform by her elbow.

"Nice to meet you." Adrian said quietly, taking Rosie's hand.

Rosie's palm was rough and dry. It spoke of hard work and struggle. It was the first time Adrian realized how soft her own slender hand was. It made her feel inadequate. Unworthy. She had never seen her life as having been easy. Not until that moment she met Rosie.

She had always sighed wearily about her days being uneventful and tedious. Moping around her bunker aching for the adventure she read about in the X-files. Mooning over Mulder's stories and griping when Dana would have her assist in the clinic. Touching hands with Rosie she knew how lucky she had been.

Adrian was disgusted with herself. She would not fail. She must not fail. This was going to be the only thing in her life worth doing. The only thing that would make her worthy to walk among these men and women who fought hard and suffered worse. It was her destiny, and she had to be the master of it.

All that from touching a hand. Maybe her mother had been right. "Trust your instincts Adrian. You have a gift."

Rosie brought them both through a brightly lit tunnel to a large and open cavern. There were about twenty people or so seated at several mis-matched tables eating and drinking. Most were men and women whose jackets denoted them as Riders. Some were in plain clothes like Adrian and Robert. They were all dusty and sunburned, and seemed older than she was. But the atmosphere was jovial and warm and Adrian began to feel at ease.

"Pull yourselves up a seat and I'll see about some food for you." Rosie said over the clamor and headed down another tunnel.

Adrian untied her jacket from around her waist and threw it on a bench. She shook off her pack and cracked her back before she finally sat. Robert was chatting with several people he apparently knew. She took out her pocket knife and etched a "7" in the shoulder strap of her pack. This was how she was going to mark the days in between shots. So she didn't loose count. She reached into her pack and felt the bottles. She held them for a moment, assuring herself they were there and full. Seven more days.

Adrian felt the curious weight of many eyes on her. She glanced around smiling at whoever's gaze she happened to catch. They knew who she was, that was certain. She wondered if they had any inkling about how important this mission was. That all of their futures hung in the balance. She imagined that they did. The real question was, did she?

When she went to sleep that night, in a bunker she shared with sixother women, Adrian dreamed of a beach. A beach where a man was building a spaceship out of the sand. He was tall and soft. With eyes that matched the waves washing up at her feet.

"What are you building?" she asked.

"I'm building the future," he replied "Are you going to help?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Adrian awoke from her dream with a start. It had been so vivid. She still felt the dampness of sea spray on her cheek. Or was that just a cold sweat. Something about that man had been familiar. His voice. Or was it his eyes. Something. She couldn't quite place it.

She noticed her bunk was empty…it must be late. She drew back her covers and pulled a clean shirt out of her pack, which she had slept with, and threw it on. Tossing her dirty shirt into the pack, she got out her pocket knife and etched the number 6 into the leather strap. Her boots were at the foot of her bed and she laced them onto her feet quickly. God, it felt so late! As if she'd been asleep for days.

The foggy haze of her dream still gripped her. What had he said? She was sure it was something important. She hopped down off her bunk, the clunk of her feet on the cold ground and the ambient hum of electricity the only sounds. Shrugging on her jacket she exited the bunk only to bump headfirst into one of the women who'd slept there during the night. Her hair was wrapped in a towel.

"Washroom's down the hall on your right. It's all yours, I'm through." She said gruffly.

Adrian felt the woman's eyes on her back as she continued walking. I don't fit in here she thought. I'm out of place; I can never measure up to any of them. I'll never be as strong as them….as strong as Dana. That last thought had crept in uninvited. Adrian never meant to compete with Dana. It was just that sometimes, well most of the time, Adrian felt as though she paled in comparison to her. Dana was smart, incredibly smart. She was cool and controlled and by all rights earned the credit of taking the first step toward saving humanity. Adrian chuckled to herself at the thought. Couldn't really one up saving the world. Why did she even care? Adrian glared at her reflection in the grimy washroom mirror as she splashed her face with cool water. She peered into her own dark eyes, her mother's eyes, willing herself to answer the question. You have no idea who you are her thoughts replied. She was some obscene conglomeration of two sets of parents and one amazing set of circumstances. How was it that her ability to know others was so keen and yet she could not know herself? What she did know of herself she didn't like. She knew that she had jumped at the chance to seek William, not only because she longed to help Mulder and Scully, but because she wanted that chance to distinguish herself. To set herself apart from them. That desire was what she expected to drive her throughout this journey. Now that she was really on it, the only thing she could feel was doubt.

"Adrian!"

She heard Robert's voice echo down the hall.

"Time waits for no man! Or woman!"

Adrian laughed, "I'm coming!" she yelled back.

Robert and Adrian were back on the road before 9 am.

Four days passed with little excitement. They followed very much the same routine of waking, walking and spending the night at Route Stations nearly carbon copies of one another. Their passing only marked by the numbers etched in the strap of Adrian's satchel. Two more days.

It was not long before Adrian and Robert found themselves a mere half a day's hike from Camp Raleigh. They're fourth day came to an end at a particularly inconvenient area not in range of a Route Station. Had they been Riders, they would've continued on into the night to Camp Raleigh. Robert, however, decided that they would make camp.

They hadn't run into any trouble. They hadn't run into anyone or anything in fact. Adrian was beginning to think her biggest adventure wasn't an adventure at all. The two companions had gained a warm and comfortable rapport. They were developing a sincere affection for each other. Of what nature, Adrian was unsure. All she knew was that she enjoyed his company and was thankful for it. She suspected he felt the same.

As dusk fell, the two were walking along the edge of a sparse wood.

"Let's head in here…for cover." Robert said taking them off the road. They found a small, soft clearing maybe half a mile from the road and laid out their bed rolls.

"I'm going to go gather some dry twigs…start a little fire."

"Jeez Robert…it's August. I've been sweating for a week!" Adrian laughed.

Robert chuckled.

"It'll get chilly tonight. You watch!" He said pinching her chin, "You'll thank me later."

Robert walked toward the tree line. He glanced back at Adrian fluffing up her mat and smiled.

Adrian looked up and caught his eye. They held each other's gaze for a moment then he turned. Suddenly Adrian was filled with a horrible sense of foreboding. She swallowed the urge to call him back. Don't be an idiot she thought. He knows what he's doing.

Adrian felt around in her pack for the bottles of precious vaccine. She held one in her palm, feeling the coolness of the glass. Two more days. She grabbed her last pack of seeds and drew out a handful.

A few moments later Robert returned.

"Hey." He said dropping the armful of spindly twigs in between their two mats.

"Hey," Adrian replied.

She watched him arrange the twigs into a small pyramid.

"Alright." He said slapping his knees and standing up from his squatting position and grabbed for Adrian's pack.

She pulled it from his grasp. "What are you doing?" she ask, brow furrowed.

"Matches."

"You have the matches Robert. This is my pack."

"Jeez. Right. I don't know where my head's at tonight!" He laughed, reaching for his own pack and pulling out some matches.

Adrian's breath quickened. Something wasn't right.

"I'm going….to go…um…use the facilities." She said nervously standing up.

"Ok." Robert said smiling at her as he struck a match. "Don't go too far."

Adrian shakily turned her back and walked as naturally as possible toward where she had seen Robert come from a moment ago. No. Not Robert. That wasn't Robert.

That was an Alien Bounty Hunter. They'd been found.

She continued to walk into the woods. Twilight had set in. Her pack. Why didn't she think to bring her damn pack? God she was so thoughtless!

Adrian knew it was there before she saw it. She shut her eyes against the awful truth of it and stifled a cry. A body. A lump cast in shadow not four feet from where she was standing. Adrian felt the icy claw of fear take her heart in its paralyzing grip. She approached the still form slowly as if willing the inevitable moment of contact never to occur.

When she finally reached Robert's crumpled body, the sob which had threatened to escape her burst from her lips.

"No…" she whispered as she knelt next to Robert on the ground. He was facing her, his bottom lip bloody. His left arm was twisted in an impossible direction and his shirt was soaked and stained with blood. Adrian surmised that he had been shot in the abdomen. She did what Dana had taught her and shoved her hands on the gushing wound, applying pressure.

"Adrian."

Robert's hoarse whisper came as a surprise to Adrian. He was still conscious.

"Robert," she said, "I'm…I'm going to help you."

Robert took Adrian's slender, bloody hands off his belly with his right hand.

"What are you doing?" she asked quietly, hot tears now spilling freely from her eyes.

"No use for that."

"Please..." Adrian moaned.

"You have to find him Adrian. He's the key. William is the key."

Blood began to gurgle from between Robert's swollen lips.

"But…I'm so afraid." Adrian sputtered in wet, broken syllables.

"Don't doubt yourself Adrian Dogget. You can do this. You can. Do what Mulder taught you to do. Base of the neck…base..of.." he trailed off and his eyes rolled backward for a second before regaining their focus.

"Please stay with me." She clutched at his weakening grip on her fingers.

Robert's head fell back and his bloody fingers slipped from Adrian's.

"Adrian!" He spoke with sudden force. "You can't trust anyone."

And then he was gone. Gone the way of her father and mother and countless others. And for the first time in her life, Adrian was completely alone.


End file.
